The Cigarette in the dock

He flies with joy when he holds it in his hand... His ecstasy increases when he kisses it by his mouth...! He feels lonely by its loss... He feels familiarity around it... His happiest moments are when he is alone with it...

He flies with joy when he holds it in his hand... His ecstasy increases when he kisses it by his mouth...! He feels lonely by its loss... He feels familiarity around it... His happiest moments are when he is alone with it... And his most miserable moments are when he leaves it... it identifies his friends and the places where he dwells... He may deviate because of it... He may commit the prohibited because of it, nevertheless he may die because of its effect… It is the cigarette!!! So let us put it in the dock!!

A Lesson!!

He was a young man; twenty five years of age, and he was plagued by smoking for several years... One day he was admitted to hospital because of a sudden pain in his heart... he was put for several days in the intensive care room under the control of advanced medical devices, where the doctor supervising his treatment had given orders to the nursing staff not to bring any cigarettes into the room because it is the main reason for his illness, and to search the visitors for fear that cigarettes may be sneaked to him...

His health improved, and he began to regain his vigor... But eventually, he did not comply with the instructions of doctors, where he returned to smoking and in a few days this young man was missing... they searched for him and they found him in a bathroom; dead (and a cigarette in his hand)!

The Components of a Cigarette

The cigarette consists of several components that reach up to more than 200 compounds and the most harmful, and the most threatening is nicotine, where there is about 0.1:2 mg per cigarette. Its harmful effects are:

1 - That nicotine affects the tissues of the body.2 - That one gram of it is enough to kill ten large-sized dogs at once.3 - That a cubic centimeter injection of nicotine is sufficient to kill a strong stallion in a few moments.4 - That 50 mg of it can kill a human if injected intravenously.

Smoking is destruction of religion

Where the smoker keeps away from places of goodness and righteousness; we find him hiding from people because of his bad smell. Smoking may be a means in committing some prohibitions, not to mention that it is religiously prohibited. Allah Almighty says: {he allows them as lawful At-Taiyibat [(i.e. all good and lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khaba'ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.)} [Surat Al-A'râf 7:157].

As it leads to weakness in progeny, as well as weakness in the immune system, skin inflammation, and cancer of the lung, throat and lips, and angina pectoris, pulmonary tuberculosis, sputum and shortness of breath, and all this is destruction of the soul. Allah Almighty says: {And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.} [Surat An-Nisâ' 4:29].

O he who wants to destroy his health *** and loves to commit suicide, without a knifeDo not despair, that I find *** all that he hopes for in a cigarette

Destruction of wealth

Where the money is spent in the prohibited, and in harmful things, and this is what he will be asked about on the Day of Resurrection; when he will be asked "about his money: from where he has acquired his wealth, and how he has spent it."

No wonder that the one who smokes 10 cigarettes per day spends annually about SR 1000, while he does not spend one tenth of it in charity for Allah's sake.

What did scholars say about smoking?

Ibn Bâz, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "it is not permissible to smoke tobacco, or sell it, or trade in it just like alcoholic drinks. Those who smoke it or trade in it should hasten to repent and turn to Allah Almighty and remorse over the past and resolve not to return back in doing this."

Ibn 'Uthaymîn, may Allah protect him, said: "So my advice to my Muslim brothers who are afflicted by smoking is that they should seek the help of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, and to resolve to quit. True determination with the help of Allah and hoping for His reward, and escaping from His punishment; in all of this there is assistance in quitting smoking."

What did doctors say about smoking?

Dr. Clifford Anderson said: "the statistics conducted by the American Cancer Society have shown that quitting smoking reduces the risk of cancer by half... It is established that those who do not smoke are the least susceptible to this disease."

Dr. Can'an Al-Gabi said: "I have been treating cancer for twenty five years; none has come to visit me suffering from throat cancer but smokers".

According to the report of the Royal College of Physicians in London: "The smoking of cigarettes in the modern era causes death toll the same way it was caused by the most dangerous epidemics in previous ages... the report mentioned that 95% of patients with arteries of the legs are smokers"

And according to a report by one of the American research centers: "Smoking leads to higher mortality rate in the world compared to wars and famines."

Important Information

1 - The victims of smoking in the world are not less than two and a half million people.2 - The cigarettes imported to third world countries are more harmful than others because they contain a larger amount of tar and nicotine.3 - Smoking is the first step to drugs.4 - The smoker is an incompetent person according to the sports' concept.5 - The smoker is socially undesirable person.

Explicit questions

1 - Do you classify the cigarettes as one of At-Tayyibât? Or as one of Al-Khabâ’ith?2 - Would you start smoking by saying: "in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful? Or do you praise him when you finish smoking?3 - Is there any food or drink that when it is finished you step over it with your shoes?4 - Do you smoke in any house of the houses of Allah (mosques)?5 - Have you made out of smoke any financial, health or social gain?6 - What is your attitude when you see one of your children or your friends smoking?

When are you quitting smoking?

O dear brother: After all this, do you not consider quitting smoking?! As usual, you will say: Yes!

I say: when then are you quitting?

You would say: tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, or after that I will try to quit... Then, you are not convinced by what you have read above, but will continue on smoking, you will never give it up!!

You would say: no!! I am absolutely convinced by what has been mentioned above, but it is difficult for me to get rid of it and I am afraid that I will not continue in leaving it..!!

Then, what is the solution, dear brother? Are we going to come to a dead end?

You will say: it did not reach that far... Then, what is to be done?

You might say: “I may take another way to survive from the dangers of smoking cigarettes, I will turn to pipes or Hubble-bubbles and the like; they may be less harmful and less dangerous.”

I have to tell you that you are but someone who jumped from the frying pan into the fire, did you not know that what has been previously mentioned of the dangers of smoking applies to pipes, Hubble-bubbles and others.

You would say: then I will move to a milder form of cigarettes, that contain a small amount of nicotine and tar; which is the big delusion. It has been proven to be ineffective and harmful, because this is a reason for smoking a greater number of cigarettes, which leads to absorbing more nicotine and tar, and this occurs involuntary, so should we resort to this solution?"

Then, what is the solution?

There is no solution, O beloved brother but only to immediately quit smoking and abandon it once and for all, I think highly of you. Your determination is stronger than being unable to escape from the captivity of a despicable cigarette. Quitting it is not that hard if it is accompanied by sincere determination and energy and a strong will.

The things that help to quit smoking

1 - Dependence on Allah Almighty and trust in Him.2 - A sincere desire and firm determination and a strong will to quit.3 - Make plans to quit smoking either gradually or immediately.4 - Tell your friends and those around you that you will quit or have already quitted smoking.5 - Do not go to places where smoking is allowed.6 - Use the Miswak (cleaning stick for teeth) or the chewing gum when you feel the yearning for smoking.7 - Drink more water and juice to reduce the concentration of nicotine in your blood.8 - Try to visit a specialist doctor to consult him.9 - The ratio of carbon dioxide gas will decrease from your system after two days of quitting smoking.10 - Remember that now you have quitted smoking and its harms and look at yourself that you are a non-smoker.

A whisper for non-smokers

O beloved brother: thank Allah Glorified and Exalted that He has saved you from this affliction and its harms. However, you should keep in mind that those smokers were previously healthy people who do not smoke, and that some of them even used to hate it severely, however, they fell in the state they are in now; and this is because that they behaved indulgently in some of the things that lead to smoking, they include:

1 - Playing with cigarettes2 - Smoking out of courtesy or shame3 - Smoking under the pretext of trying4 - To sit in places where people smoke5 - Being deceived by celebrities doing this bad habit